A couple of days ago I noticed a yellow-green crab spider in the blossom of the Annie Elizabeth apple tree. It stood out because its colour was different from the white flower petals, but it was close to the yellow of the anthers and the stigma and style.

Today I saw it again, but this time it had just caught a bee! It had it in its jaws and the bee was about the same size as the spider. I guess it had taken it by surprise.

Crab spider (Mitsumena vatia) snaps up a bee for tea

According to my insect book (which helpfully has a small section on non-insect bugs) it is a female Mitsumena vatia, one of the crab spiders that lie in wait on flowers and pounce when their prey arrives. They are normally seen from May to July and have superb camouflage. They are able to change from one colour to another. I saw a white one last year living in a rose, but never imagined they could catch anything as large as a bee.